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The Hidden Leaf Village, within the Uchiha Clan compound.
As they watched their clansmen return in a state of disarray and exhaustion, the expressions of the Uchiha leaders grew increasingly grave.
The Ōtsutsuki had returned once more—and this time, three of them had arrived together.
Their previous victory had only been possible because the Three Gods had risked their lives to fight.
That clash had come at a tremendous cost. Kyōsuke had perished in its aftermath, Hashirama's immense vitality had been completely exhausted, and even after ten long years, Uchiha Madara, had still failed to recover to his former peak.
It could be said that the village's greatest combat forces had been nearly wiped out in one fell swoop.
Now, with the enemies returning once again, what hope did the shinobi world have against the might of three Ōtsutsuki?
Could they truly rely on Haruto—whose dōjutsu allowed him to briefly match their power?
At most, he might be able to take on one of them. But what of the other two? Who would stand against them? Who would hold the line?
"Go find Lord Madara," Uchiha Kochou, her expression stern and resolute, broke the silence. "As unfortunate as it is, we must once again rely on his strength."
Madara's condition was far from good. He had been depending on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to prolong his life. If he stayed away from it for too long, death was inevitable.
Kochou's suggestion was tantamount to asking Madara to gamble with his life once more.
"Leave it to me," Izuna replied quietly, his heart still aching with longing for Kyōsuke and his team—the Followers of the Afterlife.
Had they still been here, perhaps his elder brother's wounds could have been healed… Perhaps even Hashirama wouldn't have died.
But alas, in the final battle, all the Followers of the Afterlife had perished. Without Kyōsuke's guidance, none of them had been able to grasp the secret of One's Own Life Reincarnation Technique.
Seeing Izuna voice no objection, Kochou quietly let out a sigh of relief.
With two enemies possibly dealt with, she and Yayoi would face the last one.
Ah—yes, wasn't that idiotic Shinobi Sect also claiming they would oppose the Ōtsutsuki? In that case, they certainly couldn't be allowed to flee now.
Even so, everyone's hearts remained heavy with uncertainty.
The last time they faced Isshiki, even after mobilizing all available forces, they had been crushed in humiliating defeat.
The enemy hadn't even bothered to finish them off personally—though admittedly, there was the consideration of using them as nourishment for the Divine Tree.
But that look of scorn… that contemptuous attitude, was something none who had been there would ever forget.
After a long discussion, Kochou suddenly frowned and asked with suspicion, "Why isn't Yayoi here yet? Don't tell me she's run off?"
Given the severity of the situation, the Hokage herself ought to be present.
Yet, as the group exchanged glances, they realized something strange. Yayoi hadn't made an appearance in quite some time, and recently, all administrative affairs had been handled by her advisory team.
"What exactly has she been doing?"
—
On the Moon, in the Ruins of the Palace
Momoshiki and Kinshiki had departed for Earth, planning to gather the scattered chakra remnants of the Ten-Tails.
Urashiki, however, had stayed behind, tasked with guarding a mysterious and incomprehensibly powerful system—a Tenseigan (Energy Vessel)
Why did he harbor such hatred toward Kaguya?
Because her father's failure had condemned their entire faction to imprisonment. Her eventual betrayal had only worsened their plight, driving the three man further into a corner.
It had taken immense effort to secure permission for an external mission under the guise of capturing an enemy. From the moment they escaped, they had never intended to return.
Their true objective was clear: eliminate Kaguya, seize the Divine Tree, and flee to a distant star system where the Ōtsutsuki clan would never find them.
And now, they had one more goal. They would track down the scientist responsible for creating the weapon and bring them along as well.
With such a tool in hand, they would have a greater chance of surviving any pursuit that followed.
"Little Momo's plan isn't bad," Urashiki muttered privately, clearly lacking the respect he showed outwardly.
In truth, he had never thought highly of Momoshiki.
The reason was simple—Momoshiki's abilities weren't worthy of much respect, at least not when compared to someone like Urashiki, who had mastered the manipulation of time itself.
Still, Momoshiki was far from weak. His devouring ability allowed him not only to strengthen himself but also to use the powers of those he consumed.
For instance, during his battle with Naruto and Sasuke, he had devoured Kinshiki and instantly gained the ability known as "Amanohabaya"—a technique that allowed him to manifest chakra weapons.
His strength ultimately depended on the quality of what he devoured. If he could ever consume the entirety of the Ōtsutsuki High Council, there was no doubt that Momoshiki could stand at the very peak of the universe.
"This guy is probably dying to devour me," Urashiki yawned as he pondered Momoshiki's current thoughts.
Then again, he wasn't exactly above the idea of extracting chakra from Momoshiki himself.
He could only imagine how delicious it might taste.
Suddenly, thunder roared across the skies. Black clouds gathered, and violent winds howled.
Urashiki's expression shifted. He had sensed something strange. Lifting his gaze with a hint of confusion, he scanned the sky.
And then he saw it—a ferocious beast forged from pure lightning, ripping through the clouds as it came crashing down upon him.
Lightning Release: Kirin!
In the distance, a white-robed boy slowly lowered his raised right hand.
Beside him stood Yayoi, who had been absent for so long. She held a mask in her hand, her eyes betraying an unusual trace of anxiety.
In order to prevent Kyōsuke's soul from falling into the hands of others, he had sealed it within the Mask of the Shikigami moments before his death.
Now that the clone body was complete, Yayoi had shattered the mask, releasing his soul from its shackles.
However, a new problem soon emerged. Kyōsuke's soul showed no signs of awakening—it remained in a deep slumber within the clone, unmoving and unresponsive.
The bizarre situation left Yayoi anxious in a way she hadn't felt in a very long time.
Unfortunately, her knowledge of the soul was limited. She had no idea how to rouse Kyōsuke's spirit from its dormant state.
With no other options, she decided to take a risk and bring the clone boy to Madara.
Kyōsuke and Madara had shared a close bond. Even so, Yayoi remained uneasy.
Thankfully, Madara did not disappoint her.
"Slumbering?" With just a glance through his dōjutsu, the Ghost of Uchiha had quickly come up with a solution. "It's simple—just brush him with death to jolt him awake."
To put it plainly, they would have to scare Kyōsuke back into consciousness.
The stimulus had to be severe—something that truly threatened his life. Anything less would not produce the desired effect.
And so, upon learning that the Ōtsutsuki had descended once more, Yayoi made a bold choice.
She would accompany the clone to the moon herself.
If Kyōsuke could not awaken, she would have no path of return. Only death awaited her.
Which led to the scene now unfolding before them—Kirin, thundering down upon Urashiki.
"Don't let your guard down," Yayoi said, interrupting the clone's moment of self-congratulatory excitement. After briefly closing her eyes to sense her surroundings, she reopened them and spoke calmly, "The enemy is strong. An attack like that… is nothing more than a tickle."
The absence of the other two Ōtsutsuki weighed heavily on her heart—there was no joy in their absence.
They were most likely already en route to Earth.
And Yayoi couldn't be certain the Hidden Leaf Village had the strength to endure such an invasion.
Fortunately, no Tailed Beasts currently resided within the village. If the enemy were to strike, they would likely target the other hidden villages first.
What she didn't know, however, was that it wasn't just Momoshiki and Kinshiki who had entered the Shinobi World.
Just as she had feared, when the smoke finally cleared, Urashiki stood before them once more.
"Not a bad technique," he remarked coolly. "For ants, it's already quite…"
Just as he was about to follow up with his usual sneer, Urashiki suddenly froze. His gaze had locked onto the white-robed boy standing before him. There was something… wrong. Something that set the child apart—something that didn't belong.
After a long moment of quiet observation, realization began to dawn.
This boy… he was likely a vessel, prepared by one of the Ōtsutsuki.
Was there still someone left on Earth? Could it be Isshiki? Or something that woman Kaguya had left behind?
No, it didn't feel quite right. The soul within the boy's body seemed to be in a deep slumber. It gave off a very different impression.
In just one glance, Urashiki had seen through the truth of the clone.
Casually twirling the fishing hook in his hand, Urashiki curled his lips into a sly smile. "Interesting. I didn't expect to come across one of my own kind."
He shifted his attention to Yayoi. "Hey, woman. What exactly is going on inside that boy's body?" He was clearly fishing for answers.
Urashiki wasn't foolish. It was obvious to him that the woman was the one in control of the situation. With just a single sentence, he had already analyzed the relationship between the two.
It was clear that she had no emotional attachment to the boy. That meant she likely stood on the side of the slumbering Otsutsuki inside him.
If he wanted the truth, asking her was the most direct path.
Unfortunately, Yayoi had no intention of entertaining his curiosity.
She activated her Tenseigan without a word and charged straight toward the man with the fishing rod.
"Join me in attacking him. Be careful and protect yourself at all costs."
"Understood."
She had no other choice. If the enemy turned out to be too strong and killed the clone in a single strike, she wouldn't even have the chance to grieve later.
A green Truth-Seeking Orb formed in front of her. With a graceful motion of her palm, a storm powerful enough to pierce the moon roared outward.
Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!
"Oh? Not bad," Urashiki remarked with a faint smile. Just before the storm reached him, he activated Yomotsu Hirasaka, slipping into another dimension and vanishing without a trace.
"We got him!" The clone, unable to sense any trace of the enemy, waved his arms in excitement, completely unaware of the abnormality that had appeared behind him.
"Behind you!" Yayoi shouted sharply.
At some unknown point, a small spatial rift about ten centimeters wide had opened behind the clone.
Before he could react, a red fishing hook pierced clean through his body, drawing out every last drop of his chakra in a single motion.
Two kilometers away, Urashiki chuckled softly as he reeled in his fishing line and retrieved the hook from the dark void.
Such was the terror of Yomotsu Hirasaka. Its attacks arrived without warning, capable of opening portals large enough for a person to pass through or shrink them down to mere centimeters, small enough for a fishing hook to cross dimensions.
The clone had let down his guard for a moment and paid a steep price.
If not for the strength of his Sage Body, any ordinary person would have died the moment their chakra was stripped away.
"He's still alive?" Urashiki sounded mildly surprised.
He had never planned to let the boy live from the start.
No matter who had marked this child with a Karma seal, it was unlikely they would be an ally of his. And if that was the case, there was no reason to let the vessel continue existing.
"You… what are you…" Blood spilled from the corner of the clone's lips. The absence of chakra left him barely able to stand.
Yayoi didn't waste words. Seeing his state, she turned and lunged toward the enemy once more.
Unfortunately, even with her strength barely reaching the level of the Six Paths, it still wasn't enough to inflict any meaningful damage on Urashiki.
Not to mention the blue Rinnegan in his eyes, which granted him the ability to peer into the future.
Within just a few exchanges, Yayoi had already suffered multiple serious injuries. If not for the extensive modifications to her body—along with the tenacious resilience granted by the Sage Body cells—she wouldn't have survived this long under the enemy's overwhelming power.
"How strange," Urashiki murmured, his gaze still filled with curiosity.
He had come to realize that it wasn't just the boy who was unusual. The woman's body was also abnormal in some way.
No wonder Kaguya and Isshiki had both failed. This planet truly harbored many unexpected variables.
The red fishing hook danced once more. A haze of violet chakra gathered around it, forming into a massive, eel-like dragon that surged toward the weakened clone.
Amenosubaruboshinomikoto: Ryūgū!
"No matter what tricks you're hiding, you'll die now."
The dread of death loomed. The enemy's power was so overwhelming that the clone could not even entertain the thought of resistance.
"Do not be afraid."
In that moment, a voice echoed deep within his mind—strangely unfamiliar, yet hauntingly familiar at the same time.
"Raise your hand."
A mysterious feeling took hold of him, urging him to obey the voice without question.
As his hand lifted, the diamond-shaped mark on his palm—an enigma he had never been able to decipher—began to glow with a soft, steady light.
..
..
[IMAGE]
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[Chapter End's]
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